Life is Short
by drgemini86
Summary: Life is short, art is long, but what about love? Missing scenes and tag for Unending. SamDaniel, CamAmy, a little Teal'cIsh'ta
1. Chapter 1

_**Life is Short, by DrGemini86 (DrGemini24)**_

_**Summary: **__Life is short, art is long, but what about love? Unending missing scenes and tag. _

_**Pairings: **__DanielVala (the, ahem, 'canon'), SamDaniel, a little CamAmy, Teal'cIsh'ta_

_**Rating: **__T_

_**Category: **__New Romance_

_**Genres: **__Action/Adventure, Angst, Episode-related, Romance-focussed, Unending fix_

_**Spoilers: **__Unending, and before that_

_**A/N: **__It took me a while to think up a plot for the long planned Unending fix, but I'm getting there. I still haven't seen the episode, having got tearful on seeing the screen caps, reading the spoilers, and then making the mistake of watching the Have You Seen the Rain montage on YouTube. To those of you who think that Daniel and Vala are in 'wuv', answer me this – why did it take him fifty years to say anything related to 'I love you'? Fifty years. It wasn't like they were doing anything else – poor Sam was doing all the freakin' work (and Cam helped her out, bless him)._

_Quite frankly, while I'm in rant mode, I was disgusted by the way season 10, especially the last half, turned out. It was an insult to the existing fans of the franchise, who had watched from the good ol' early days as opposed to the more recent ones who already had a 'cast iron' opinion on DanielVala and their apparently 'sizzling' chemistry (bleurgh) despite only watching since season 8 or 9. How the hell is Prometheus Unbound a shippy ep (lol, ok, it could be a JackDaniel…)?! Our boy got beaten up! By that logic, Reckoning Part II is shippy because RepliCarter went evil Replicator psycho queen on his ass (I told him to get a mule, but what are you going to do…)._

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Twenty years had come and gone with SG-1 still stuck aboard the Odyssey with only a time dilation field keeping them from being blown to smithereens by the oncoming energy beam of an Ori ship, while Sam worked on a solution to their predicament. Within an infinitesimal space of time outside of the field, and two decades within the field, the team had aged together and had experienced the painful loss of their commanding officer to old age.

The death of General Landry had struck an ominous chord with each member of the team, each knowing full well that they would soon follow him into the arms of Thanatos, but each equally not wanting to accept it. The onus was on Sam.

Not long after their incarceration had begun, Daniel and Vala looked to have found some light from the darkness that lay before them. The rest of the team had been happy for them, that they had found some respite from the pain of knowing just what was at stake as well as their slim odds.

While both Teal'c and Cam exercised regularly to stay in shape, and to alleviate the cabin fever that had struck them both, the latter in particular on several occasions, Sam worked on getting them out of the field without killing her team, the mournful sound of a cello her only respite from the ever present guilt.

Her head hurting as she worked for hours with the hologram of the Asgard that they would all miss the most, Thor, the Colonel decided that enough was enough and that she had to take a break as the letters, figures and glyphs swam before her eyes in a sleep-deprived haze.

She bitterly remembered the words of a hallucination of Daniel that she had had aboard the Prometheus so long ago, telling her that running the same hyper drive simulations over and over wouldn't throw up new results, and that she should take the opportunity to look at other avenues.

Where was he now?

She bent her head over the worktop that she had worked at for the best part of two decades, her now shoulder length pale-grey hair cascading down her shoulders, and she closed her eyes as she massaged her temples, vowing not to go back there.

'_You let him go, Samantha. Stop it._'

She sighed in frustration and then got up, wincing at the strain in her limbs and her back brought on by a combination of long periods of sitting, and old age. Switching off the hologram as tears surged in her eyes, she walked out with a heavy heart, feeling as though the entire ship rested upon her shoulders along with the legacy of the Asgard, and the lives of her team-mates.

In the ship's Mess, using a device that she had created from the Asgard knowledge a few months into their imprisonment, she made herself a cup of coffee. Picking a spot that was on the other side of the room, the furthest point away from where anyone usually sat, she took the first sip of her beverage, closing her eyes as the hot, artificial liquid slipped down her throat.

'_What I would do for real coffee…_'

She leaned her head back and sighed softly as she remembered going to see Daniel earlier that day. He had been so busy working on translating the Asgard knowledge, just as a way of doing _something_…

'_You'd think he'd be occupied with __**doing**__ Vala…_'

As soon as the thought wandered into her mind, she felt guilty. What right had she to stand in the way of her friends' happiness?

She had asked him why he kept doing it, why he kept it up, and he had answered that it was because it was something to do. She had told him that she had given up, and his positive reaction had given her a small glimmer of hope, and had resulted in her recent burst of work.

Before their imprisonment, their incarceration, their confinement… their relationship had inexplicably run into the ground. She had found him to be more and more distant, not spending as much time with her as he had on so many occasions, and looking angry whenever she said anything. She had confronted him on it once but he had shrugged her off, saying that he was tired before walking away from her.

She missed her best friend…she still missed him. Time had only intensified the pain and the memories, and the discovery two decades previously that he was seeing Vala had killed her inside.

She gazed out of the window, at the huge looming Ori ship whose energy fire had been slowed exponentially but would one day destroy the Odyssey, wondering whether she was ever going to get her friends out of this, alive. Not only did she have to save them, but she also had to ensure that the Asgard's legacy lived on, that their civilisation was not lost to the future. There was no way that she was going to lose anyone else on this damn ship.

She closed her eyes and sighed for what must have been the hundredth or so time that day, and looked down at her coffee, feeling as though she was the lowest form of life in the entire galaxy. She moved to a different table to gaze out of a different window, at the infinite number of stars that reached further than she could see.

"Is this seat taken?"

She looked up in surprise to see an older Daniel waiting next to the seat opposite her, the Archaeologist forgoing his monthly haircut and allowing his hair to grow a little. She remarked with a strained smile, her voice pained,

"The dating scene's a little stale here."

Gazing at her with concern as she went back to looking out of the window, he sat down with his own mug of coffee and followed her gaze. He said softly,

"Beautiful, isn't it? We spent so long going to-and-fro on missions that we never really had the chance to stop and just stare at the sea of stars that surround us. And now that we have the chance, we don't take the opportunity."

She nodded slightly and replied, sounding tired, "This was my dream, to see the stars closer than I could from Earth, but look at where it's led me. We're all stuck on this damn ship because I can't find a way to deactivate the field without killing us all."

Tears in her eyes, she continued as he watched, looking greatly disturbed as her voice grew wobbly, "If only I hadn't sent down Marks or the other engineers… I can't do this Daniel, I can't, but I can't give up because it isn't my decision, it isn't only my life at stake. Because of me, the General's dead, and I won't be responsible for one more life, not like that. Every time I close my eyes at night, I see his face, I see him blaming me for not saving him."

His heart feeling heavy at the outpouring of her pent up grief, he held her hands and said, tears in his own eyes, "Sam, what happened wasn't your fault. You're working against pretty big odds here, we all know that. In fact, we all owe you our lives, because if you hadn't activated this field, we would all be dead."

She shook her head and said, sniffing back her tears, "He's dead, Daniel, he's never coming back, and what makes you think that the answer is going to suddenly jump out at me? I have been working on this for twenty years… I'm old, Daniel…"

"We're all old. Us two are sixty-two, Mitchell's fifty-seven… I've lost count how old Teal'c is, and as for Vala…"

At mention of their dark-haired team-mate, she exhaled as he slowly let go of her hands and she looked out of the window again. As he sipped his coffee thoughtfully, she remarked suddenly,

"Twenty years. It makes you think, doesn't it... the things that might have been, the things that could have been…"

He nodded solemnly, replying as he followed her gaze once again, "Teal'c would have eventually settled down with Ish'ta and had a bunch of kids… and we would all be privy to their violent rows."

She smiled briefly, and whispered, "Cam would have probably proposed to Amy."

They both paused, not sure of where to go from there, and he asked eventually, "What about you?"

She replied, glancing at him sadly as she recalled her lost chances and regrets, "Looking back, I guess I would have seized the moment."

He frowned for a moment and said, his eyes downcast, "I'm guessing Jack would have retired."

Confused, she asked, looking at him, "Why?"

He asked, now confused as well as inwardly pained, "You would have resigned?"

She closed her eyes and said defensively as she gradually realised what he had meant, "What?! No!"

She looked out of the window once again, he said, confused even further, "You said that you would have seized the moment, and seeing as you and Jack are in the same chain of command, one of you would have had to resign or retire to see your way clear to being together without getting into trouble."

Shaking her head sadly, she said softly, "No."

"What, not Jack? Then who?"

"Someone."

"Someone?"

She sighed, and he said, "I always thought you had a thing for Jack."

She shook her head and said, pain in her eyes, "No, I let him go a long, long time ago."

He touched her hand and asked gently, "Then who is it?"

She said, looking down at her coffee, "I better get back to work, Daniel."

She was about to get up when they both turned their heads on hearing a grey-haired Vala say, looking from one to the other with a hint of suspicion in her eyes from the end of the table, "What's going on?"

Sam said, her heart hurting as she got up, "I was taking a break."

Vala watched the Colonel leave before looking at Daniel accusingly, and she asked, her arms folded across her chest, "What happened?"

Daniel sighed slowly and said, not looking at her, "Nothing."

Vala sat next to him, her hand gently running up and down his thigh as she asked in a softer voice, kissing him on the cheek, "What did she say?"

Still not looking at her, his eyes on his cooling coffee, "She's upset. She feels as though everything's on her."

"Well it is."

"… and there is no way that any of us can help her. No-one else has the relevant skills and knowledge to help her work faster."

She said with a pout, "Well, I did ask her…"

He gently shook his head and finally gazed at her, saying as his hand rested on hers, stopping her caresses, "Vala, you're a lot cleverer than you let on. You know that she needs someone else like McKay… or… or, even one of the ship's engineers. We can't help her."

She gazed at him, sensing something that had always been there, something that had been between them for as long as their relationship, and she said, inwardly sad, "Come on Daniel, let's go."

Gazing at her with regret, knowing that she knew how he felt, he said gently, touching her cheek tenderly, "Vala… I never meant to…"

She shook her head and said, forcing back her tears as she met his gaze, "Don't, Daniel. Just, don't. Your words are useless. I know where I stand and it's enough."

Feeling like a complete and utter boob, he said, "If it was my choice, I would give you my heart, but…"

She closed her eyes briefly and held his hand, whispering, "I know."


	2. Chapter 2

Thirty years later, their total incarceration adding up to fifty years, the team stood together, so much older than they had been. They all knew the odds. Once the time dilation field was deactivated, they would be a second or so away from being blasted to their deaths… but there was always the chance that Sam's plan would work, thanks to Cam's idea of using the Ori energy that had come substantially closer to the ship within half a century.

Sam volunteered to be the one to check that it stayed deactivated, feeling that it was her penance for taking so long to come to a solution. Looking around at her friends, all of them wizened with old age with only Teal'c looking relatively sprightly with his streak of grey hair, she hoped that everything would be undone, that her friends and the Asgard's legacy to the future would be saved.

But Teal'c, understanding her reasons, _all_ of her reasons for doing so, stopped her, volunteering himself. Seeing as his lifespan was longer than all of theirs, he believed it to be the right course of action, but he had another reason too. He and Sam had shared so much over the years of their imprisonment, and he felt that he owed her a favour, a big favour.

Before the implementation of the plan, during the stage of goodbyes and farewells, Daniel tried to tell Vala that he hadn't been with her for that long because of the ship, that he did care about her, although not as much as he wish he could have. Vala stopped him before he could lie, whispering softly as she gazed at him wistfully,

"I know… I know…"

She knew how he felt – she didn't need him to soften the blow, to try to tell her that he hadn't agreed to start a relationship with her for anything other than the fact that he was in love with her. Why had it taken him fifty years to tell her something along the lines of his reasons for staying with her?

Fifty years, half a century… a lifetime.

Sam blinked back her own tears and Cam placed a hand on her shoulder, saying, "We'll all get a second chance, but we won't remember a thing… apart from T of course."

She looked at him, the shadow of age and pain in her eyes, and she replied hoarsely as she patted his hand, "It's worth it… so very worth it, if only for the Asgard."

He nodded and Teal'c said, stooping closer to Sam's ear so she could hear him, knowing how her hearing had become patchy with old age, "Samantha, this plan will work. I will ensure that."

She turned to hug him, whispering as she closed her eyes, his arms wrapping around her weak frame as he lightly kissed her forehead, "I wish I was in your place, Teal'c… what are you going to do about Ish'ta?"

Cam remarked with a small smile, "Or Bra'tac, for that matter?"

Teal'c smiled briefly and replied softly, his lips near her ear, "We will jump off that bridge when we come to it."

The team reassembling once again, Teal'c gazed at all of his friends as they wished him luck, and he then stepped away from them, deactivating the field and watching as the ship was destroyed around him and fifty years gradually undid themselves.


	3. Chapter 3

The rest of SG-1 couldn't believe that they had spent fifty years aboard the Odyssey, or understand quite why an older Teal'c had swept a very surprised General Landry off his feet in a huge hug. As they beamed back the personnel from the planet surface, every one of them puzzled at Teal'c's hair, Cam put an arm around the Jaffa, remarking,

"That's our T. Groundhog Day; Back to the Future III… he does it all."

Teal'c looked around at his friends as the bemused ship commander ordered Marks to plot a course back to Earth, and he couldn't help but feel a great sense of relief at the fact that his friends were all fine, that the General was still alive, and that he could still implement his own plan.

He looked to Sam as she sat behind a console, to Daniel who watched her from afar, to Vala who promptly jumped on his back, and to a beaming Cam, who remarked, "I wonder if we had a bunch of SG-kiddies and grand kiddies running about."

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After returning from their last mission of that day, SG-1 were granted leave after Teal'c had briefed the General on the general turn of events. He had refused to tell anyone of what had happened, even Vala, who had made wild guesses at who she would have been with during that time. He smiled a little as he recalled Sam talking about how much responsibility there was in keeping all of it under his figurative hat, thinking that it was more than a little ironic.

'_Good things come to those who wait_.'

During the exchange of proverbs as part of a philosophical moment prior to that last mission, the Jaffa had hoped that his message got through to both Sam and Daniel, to Daniel in particular, that if he had waited, he would have got the one person who he really had wanted. Of course it hadn't, because they hadn't a clue about what had gone on.

Walking through the corridors as he thought of everything, he sighted Sam coming towards him, on her way to the lifts and then home. Knowing that the Archaeologist was staying longer to tie up some work at his office, and, unofficially, to reflect on the possibilities, Teal'c asked when she greeted him with a smile,

"Samantha…"

When she looked at him in surprise, he bowed his head slightly and said, "ColonelCarter, are you returning home?"

Sam nodded, still a little stunned at what he had called her, and she replied, tired, "Yeah… God, it's a lot to think about isn't it?"

"Indeed, for you it is not."

She smiled, saying, "That's right. Sorry. You've got a lot to think about."

Her smile faded as she asked, "Were we all happy?"

He said softly, the faintest glimmer of regret in his eyes, "I am not at liberty to reveal that information."

"Of course."

Her gaze downcast, she was about to say goodbye and walk past him, when for the second time that day, he stopped her by placing a hand on her arm. She looked up, surprised, and he said,

"Samantha, have you talked to DanielJackson? He appeared greatly pensive prior to, during and after the mission to Dakara."

She shook her head, sadness in her eyes as she replied quietly, "No… I…"

She sighed and continued, "Teal'c, you must have noticed that our relationship isn't as strong as it used to be. He's always working or too tired to talk… Sometimes, I think he's more interested in Vala or even Cam than he is in talking to his old friends, the friends who he has seen so much with."

He nodded and replied, "It is indeed a shame, but I believe that there is a reason for his change, predominantly the Ori."

"Yeah… I know, it's hard, especially for him. It's not just his guilt at thinking that he led them here, but there's what happened with the Goa'uld too. I guess he's so determined to stop them before it's too late that he's forgotten who he is."

"Not forgotten, but suppressed."

She looked up at him in confusion and then stark realisation, and he said gently, touching her shoulder, "_Seize the moment_, Samantha, otherwise you will greatly regret it."

Startled as she remembered a hallucination of Daniel telling her that aboard the Prometheus, she said after a pause, "We must have become really close during that time."

He nodded and then walked away as she closed her eyes and began to contemplate facing up to her greatest fear.

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Daniel, having been pestered by Vala about a hypothetical double-whammy romance with Teal'c and Cam, sighed as the dark-haired woman left, leaving him to his thoughts. As he sorted through his papers, he began to think about what might have happened during fifty years aboard the ship, and why Teal'c looked so uncharacteristically sad whenever he looked at him.

The General must have died at one point, hence the hug. It must have been hard to witness the death of their commanding officer, knowing that they were all stuck and perhaps would suffer the same fate.

He pinched the bridge of his nose as he began to think of Sam, and what might have happened with her. He wouldn't have told her, he knew that, because she didn't feel the same, and he also knew that he had more class than taking advantage of being incarcerated together.

She must have moped for Jack for all of that time.

He grimly thought as he slammed a notebook shut in frustration, 'They deserve each other.'

He dropped a pile of books onto his desk, a little harder than was healthy for said books as he remembered the proverb that Vala had come out with in the gateroom earlier that day,

'Life is short.'

Life is short, he thought. So many lost chances, lost dreams and things that will forever remain undone, unaccomplished. Just as he really began to beat himself up, there was a knock at the door. He snapped,

"What is it?"

The door opened slowly to reveal a sheepish looking Sam, who said softly, "Bad time?"

He gazed at her, his face frozen in suppressed anger and frustration, and then his gaze fell as he said wearily, "Not at all. Just got lost in thought."

She remarked, a little scared, "Some thought."

"Yeah."

She finally moved from the open door, closing it behind her before taking a seat opposite his as he checked his temper. She said, propping her face up on her hands as her gaze lifted to the ceiling gradually and then moved back to him,

"Fifty years. It's a long time, isn't it? Do you ever wonder what might have happened?"

He nodded and replied as he met her gaze, "All the time."

"Me too. I can't help thinking that maybe we got into a huge fight… being so close to each other like that for so long. I can imagine Cam throwing things around… he can't handle doing nothing for too long – he's a Pilot. In fact… I think Teal'c and I got closer at least. He called me 'Samantha' in the corridor just now."

He frowned and asked, "He doesn't?"

She shook her head and replied, a hint of sadness in her eyes, "Nope."

He sighed and said, his gaze lowering to the desk, "Maybe it was like group therapy after a while. I can't imagine us… any of us growing old together like that. It must have been hard."

"Mm-hm."

She asked after a long pause, watching him fiddle with a pen, "What are you doing?"

He gestured to the papers and books on his desk, saying, "This? Well, to tell you the truth, I have no idea. I just got so caught up with thinking…"

"Cam wanted to have a dinner or a movie."

"Oh yeah, I said I'd rather take a rain check on that."

"Me too. The whole thing's got me in a philosophical mood. We have a second chance to live those fifty years again, and this time we won't be stuck on the Odyssey. Wow, just think… I'll bet Cam and Amy get engaged… Teal'c and Ish'ta will probably eventually get their act together without too much bloodshed…"

He said, ducking his head briefly, "Actually… I think Mitchell has a thing for Vala… that's why he called it off in that last date with Amy while Jacek was here."

She said with a shrug and a small smile, "I thought it was the middle of the story with those two – he just said that he wasn't sure. Did he tell you anything?"

"Nope… I just see the little looks. I think Vala has a thing for him too, and neither knows about it."

She remarked, looking down at the desk, "They're idiots."

He said as he gazed at her, trying not to look sad, "I guess you and Jack might start going places now."

Frowning, she snapped her head up to look at him, asking, "What for?"

He said, suddenly looking increasingly weary, "Because… oh Sam, don't lie to me. I know you and Jack have a thing going on… you've had it for years."

She smiled slightly and said softly as she recalled times past, "I'm not a fool, Daniel. I'm a serving Air Force officer… the only stupid Air Force officers are dead Air Force officers. I let him go a long time ago."

Surprised, he frowned at her, asking sceptically, "You did?"

She nodded and said with a small smile as she cocked her head, "Come on… ok, yes, General O'Neill is the best CO that I… that we have ever had, and the guy's a legend, but no way would a relationship between us work. What the hell would we talk about?"

She shook her head slightly as she watched him, and he said, surprised, "I was thinking that you would have been in so much pain during all those years… but you wouldn't have been, not as much as you would have had…"

She remarked affectionately, feeling that the void in their relationship had filled somewhat within the past half hour, "Shut up, Daniel."

And then he did something that she hadn't seen for so long. He smiled. She smiled back at him and then said sadly,

"I've missed you these past two years… I've missed talking to you as much as we used to… I miss being with you… I miss you."

He nodded regretfully, saying softly, "There's so much at stake, Sam. I'm sorry…"

She reached across the desk to hold his hands and said, "I wish you hadn't pushed me and Teal'c away. We need you. No matter what happens, we're the original team, along with the General of course. You're not alone… we'll always be by your side. Cam and Vala didn't see the things that we saw, the things that we experienced together as team, and separately as individuals."

He nodded slowly and said, sadness in his eyes as he looked down at their hands, his eyes seeing past everything as he thought of Sha're, "We all lost so much during that time, saw so much darkness."

She squeezed his hands and replied, "But we overcame it, just like we'll overcome the Ori. They really don't know who they're messing with… let's see, an F-302 Pilot, two former Goa'uld hosts, an ex-First Prime… and a unique man that has come back from death so many times that he's been compared to Lazarus."

Blushing slightly, he said, nodding pensively as he met her gaze again, "I guess there is hope."

"There's always hope."

"Makes you think of all the hope-related proverbs, doesn't it?"

She remarked with a grin, "Oh yeah. '_Hope springs eternal'._"

He smiled at her, saying in reply, "_'In the kingdom of Hope, there is no winter.'_ "

She cocked her head in thought for a moment and then said as she thought over the words, "I like that one."

"Me too. It says so much about the human spirit."

Remembering Teal'c's words to her earlier, her smile faded as she said, "'_Carpe diem_' does the same thing."

He replied solemnly, "_Seize the day… for each one may be your last._"

"Where's that from?"

"I have no idea."

Hoping that she wouldn't give anything away, she said, looking innocent, "You know… in our roles as purveyors of scientific knowledge…"

He snorted with laughter, and she continued, smiling at that, "… _seize the moment_ is more apt. I mean, when you're on a mission and you just happen to be stuck in something you've been meaning to study for years."

He frowned in confusion, wondering how it would apply to her, and he said, smiling slightly, "You're thinking about the Prometheus, aren't you… when you got concussion. I still think the cloud may have been sentient."

"I know. Your hallucination told me."

He said, remembering that particular incident, "I guess, by then, we'd all become a part of you, representing facets of your character."

She remarked with a nostalgic smile, "I miss how we used to read each other's minds and really spook the General."

"He's so easy to spook."

"Yeah. Fun too."

She exhaled slowly and asked him, "Do you know where I got _seize the moment_ from?"

He shook his head, and she said, "You… or rather that hallucination. You represented the largest part of me, my passion, my curiosity and inquisitiveness. It was just so like you… which isn't a surprise seeing how close we were back then."

He remarked wistfully, "We were pretty close, weren't we?"

"Yeah. You were so protective of me after you got your memories back. Despite everything, I really appreciated that."

He blushed, and she said, getting up, "I better be going… it's been a long day… roughly eighteen thousand, two hundred and fifty four times longer than usual."

He nodded and said, amused as he followed her to the door, "I guess it has been."

They stood gazing at each other for a long moment and then she kissed him on the cheek, whispering as she caressed the other side of his face, "Go home and get some sleep Daniel… it'll help you to think clearer."

And with that, she was gone, leaving him to slowly touch where he had been kissed, a stunned expression on his face.


	4. Chapter 4

The next afternoon, as the Colonel returned from a long motorcycle ride along mountain roads to clear her head, she saw someone sat on her doorstep. As she got closer, she realised, to her surprise that it was Daniel, and she smiled as she stopped. She dismounted and then took her helmet off as he approached, the Archaeologist saying,

"Hey."

Happy to see him, she said, hugging him, "Hey Daniel… what brings you here?"

He shrugged and said with a small smile, "I guess I just wanted to hang out with my friend… you busy?"

She put an arm around him as she led him into the house, replying, "Not at all, and even if I was, you're more than welcome… so…"

He remarked after she had taken her jacket off and led him further into the house, into the kitchen, "I guess I could start by asking you where you went."

She beamed, replying, "That's a good one… Well, I went driving in the mountains. I love it around this time of year. The leaves are all turning brown and it's just starting to get windy but not too windy. To tell the truth, I like the feeling of being free."

He remarked, scrunching up his nose as she switched the coffeemaker on, the Archaeologist leaning against the worktop, "You're insane."

"Oh come on, Daniel… haven't you learnt anything from all those proverbs that were flying about since we came back? Let's see… _life is short_…"

"Yeah, that was about the only one that could justify almost killing yourself in the mountains… and it should go '_life is short but a way to make it even shorter…_'"

She playfully hit him and then asked, "So how are you doing?"

He shrugged and replied, "Fine, I guess… Vala's still wondering who she was with for all of those years, and her latest theory is that she… uh, took turns with all of us."

Surprised and a little embarrassed, she remarked as he blushed, "You can't blame the girl for trying… at least it's all-inclusive, I suppose… No wonder Teal'c looks so sad when we ask him about what happened."

Nothing was said for a long moment, until she said as they both turned to the coffeemaker when the appliance announced in its own way that it was ready, "Hey, how about we go out somewhere, just the two of us?"

He pushed his glasses up as he watched her pour the coffee into two mugs, and he replied, "That would be good…"

Smiling at him, she asked, "God, when is the last time we did anything like that? I know… we could go see a movie or… how about dinner… or both?"

He asked, his cheeks reddening a little, "Dinner and a movie? Sounds like a date."

She looked down at the worktop, embarrassed too, and she said quietly, "Yep."

He touched her hand gently and said as her gaze rose to meet his, "That would be a great idea. It has been a long time... and I missed you too."

They gazed at each other, his hand still over hers, something indescribable passing between them. She was the first to break eye contact, murmuring, "The coffee's ready."

He gazed at her for a moment and said gently, "I knew that."

She looked back at him, hesitantly at first, and then lightly kissed him on the lips. The contact took them both by surprise, but when he didn't recoil in disgust, or run away, she kissed him again, this time a little firmer, and he eventually kissed her back. He reached up a hand to touch her cheek, caressing it tenderly and then he hugged her as she rested her head on his shoulder.

They stood together for a long moment, their eyes closed as they each felt that the other was an anchor, holding them fast in a sea of uncertainty and darkness. He murmured as he opened his eyes again, his lips near her ear,

"I think I had better go, Sam…I…"

She gently ran the tips of her fingers up and down the back of his neck, whispering gently, "Daniel…"

Closing his eyes briefly, he said, pulling away as he felt scared, "Sorry."

She watched, sadness in his eyes as he walked away, straight out of her house as she tried to call him back in vain. Tears in her eyes, she sprinted after him, finding him walking down the pavement quickly, his back ramrod straight. Grabbing his shoulder, she tried to turn him around but he fought against her, silently freeing himself and continuing to walk away.

"Don't do this, please. Daniel. Tell me what's wrong."

He walked away a few steps before stopping, his back to her as she noticed, much to her dismay that his shoulders were heaving with suppressed anger. He asked in a dangerously low voice,

"What's wrong? What's wrong?! I'll tell you what's wrong…"

He turned around and asked bitterly, his eyes cold, "Who put you up to this?!"

Her eyes widened in shock and disbelief as he continued, throwing his hands down, shaking his head slightly, "I know I'm only second best because you couldn't have Jack. I'm not going to be second fiddle, Sam. I'm not…"

As she watched in confusion and incomprehension, tears running down her cheeks, he said, a stray tear rolling down his cheek, "I…"

He closed his eyes, his head lowering as he continued softly, "… I can't do this, Sam. I can't do it. I'm sorry."

He was about to walk away when she ran in front of him, holding him by the shoulders as she gazed at him. He said softly, his gaze moving away from hers as he didn't make much of an effort to break free this time,

"Sam, just let me go."

She forced him to meet her gaze, shaking him by the shoulders until he reluctantly did so, and she said, not caring about the tears that still kept on coming, "Daniel, I really meant what I said about the General. I let him go a long time ago. You could never be second fiddle to him or anyone, because… you know why? You're unique. You're the most amazing man that I have ever met."

He bobbed his head sceptically, his gaze moving down and away from hers again, and she added, shaking him by the shoulders to get him to look her in the eyes once more, "I mean it."

He gazed into her eyes, fear in his own as he saw that she had told the truth, and she hugged him, leaning her head on his shoulder as his arms remained immobile. She whispered, kneading her forehead on his shoulder,

"I don't know where you got the idea about the General… there was always someone else in the background."

Confused, he asked as he gazed down at what he could see of her neck, "Someone else?"

"Oh yeah… and before you start wildly guessing, that someone else would a certain self-doubting Archaeologist who apparently has feelings for me but is too scared to let himself go."

She straightened up, holding his face in her hands as she caressed his jaw with her thumbs, their gaze still locked as she continued, "So what do you say, Daniel?"

His expression softened as he hesitantly hugged her, replying as he gazed at her, years of pain and fear in his eyes, "I say that we've been beating around the bush far too long and we're as big as idiots as Mitchell and Vala, if not bigger… that is, if they really do have feelings for each other."

She smiled through her tears, clinging onto him as she remarked, "Oh, if you'd been any other guy, you'd be peeing through a catheter by now…"

He retorted, the tips of his ears reddening as he kissed her neck, "Oh, what romantic images you conjure up, Colonel-Doctor."

"And you love me for it."

"For everything."

"Funny that."

When he reached under her hair to her neck, gently running his fingers up and down her pale skin, he asked softly, kissing her hair, "What is?"

"I love you for the same thing."

"As our Jaffa friend would say… _that is indeed of a humorous nature._"


	5. Chapter 5

The two of them emerged from a restaurant later that evening, holding hands as they talked, both of them smiling and looking radiant with happiness as they swung their hands between them. She said, glancing at him,

"That was wonderful, Daniel."

He smiled back at her, replying, "That _was_ pretty good."

"Oh, now this is somethin' you don't see everyday…"

They both looked in front of them abruptly, taken by surprise by the familiar voice, to see Cam and Vala looking at them with matching teasing grins. Daniel asked, glancing at Sam and not letting go of her hand,

"Where are you guys off to?"

Vala remarked, "Oh, Cameron wanted to eat out, but seeing as you two weren't answering calls, and Muscles is away with Ish'ta, I finally gave in to his repeated pleas to accompany him on a culinary expedition."

Cam glared at her, retorting, "I did _not_ beg you to come… you did that by yourself."

She grinned and him, shooting back, "That's because I don't get to go out as much as you Earth-borns."

They both looked back at an amused Sam and Daniel, Cam asking, "You guys ok?"

Sam and Daniel exchanged a little glance, the former replying with a small smile, "I think so…"

"Well, I take it that you don't want any company so we'll be on our way."

Vala looked confused for the briefest of moments before she said excitedly at first and then sultrily, looking at the embarrassed scientists, "Oh! You two are going to do the wild thing. That could be interesting… Cameron?"

Cam put a hand to his head and then asked, glaring at her again, "What?!"

She said with an innocent grin, "Hi."

He rolled his eyes and then said, hugging Sam and then patting Daniel on the back, "You guys take care, ok? I guess we'll be hearing some good news in the morning but I hope Landry won't cast you as Yoko, Sam."

Sam smiled, remembering Teal'c's small tribute to Jack, and she said, gazing at Daniel, "We'll jump off that bridge when we come to it."

Cam, grabbing Vala's hand with the intention of dragging her away, said quickly, "And we're off… bye, you guys."

Vala smiled at them both and then said with all seriousness, gazing at Daniel as they both noticed defeat in her eyes, "I wish you all the best."

She gazed at Daniel for a moment longer before following Cam, the southern Colonel calling with a wave as the scientists turned to wave back at him, "'night, you two."

When Cam and Vala had eventually walked out of earshot, Daniel put an arm around Sam, the Astrophysicist remarking with a grin as she gazed up at him, holding the hand that was on her shoulder, "There's chemistry."

"Oh yeah."

He caressed her jaw and lowered his lips to hers as she smiled in anticipation, her arm wrapping around his neck, right before another voice remarked, "That is cute, although you don't want to be going any further out here… so many prudes in high Colorado…"

They parted in shock and looked straight at an amused Jack, who said with a little wave, "Welcome back."

Sam and Daniel glanced at each other, the latter saying, "Jack."

"Daniel."

"What are you doing here?"

Jack remarked, slipping between them as he put his arms around each of them and walked with them the opposite way that they had been walking in, "Well, meeting up with some buddies of mine but then caught the show. You two, huh? It's taken you long enough – you've even made T go grey."

Sam asked, looking up at her former CO, still surprised, "You heard about the mission, Sir?"

Jack nodded and said with a resigned expression, "I miss Thor."

"I gave him your regards, Sir."

"I know you did, Carter. Thanks."

He patted them on the shoulders and remarked, "So…fifty years, eh? There must have been a lot of little Space Monkeys and Einsteins running about, with maybe just a little dash of fighter pilot and… Vala, or maybe T."

Sam and Daniel exchanged yet another glance, the latter saying, "Uh… I doubt that that's what happened, Jack. Teal'c won't say what happened but he doesn't look very happy about it."

"Well, if he had your kids and grandkids performing experiments and speaking to him in crazy talk for fifty years, he's doing a good job if he's only sad."

The scientists blushed, and Jack said, gazing at each of them proudly, "Very glad that you've finally seen what I saw so long ago. You guys look happier than I've ever seen either of you. Keep it up."

He hugged them both and then said, "I better go… I'll try to see you longer next time."

Smiling slightly at Sam, he squeezed her shoulder and said, regret briefly in his eyes, "You look after my Space Monkey, ok?"

She nodded and replied softly, glancing at a moved Daniel, "Always, Sir."

She reached up to kiss him on the cheek and he then turned to Daniel, remarking, "And you, buddy, better take good care of my best ever second-in-command otherwise, never mind having to deal with me, Ascension ain't gonna save your lily ass from good ol' Carter."

He gazed at them as Daniel slipped an arm around Sam's waist, her own arm around his waist, and he said, "I'll see you around."

When they had said their farewells to Jack, the General going into a nearby bar, Sam looked at Daniel who smiled at her, remarking as he caressed her cheek again, "I'd kiss you, but we could have General Landry coming over to talk."

She leaned her head on his shoulder and he kissed her hair as she remarked with a warm smile as he reddened ever so slightly, "Let's get your lily ass home… Space Monkey."

He said as he kissed her ear, the two turning around to walk back the way they had come, "I was scared when he turned up."

She nodded and replied softly, "So was I… but it's all worked out, hasn't it?"

He grinned and then kissed her as she looped an arm around his neck, replying, "Oh yeah."

--------------------

Driving back to Sam's house, both of them began to feel nervous about what would come next. Would it work out? What if it didn't? It took a lot of mental energy for them to prevent themselves from going nuts, particularly Daniel, who was in the driving seat.

Pulling up outside of her house, she swallowed several times as she looked out of the window, and then back at him, asking, "Do you want to come in?"

He, looking scared, replied, "I guess that depends on whether you want me to come in… I, uh… I'm not particularly sure whether it would be a good idea right now. I mean, there's all the…"

She, now amused, said, "Daniel?"

He stopped, asking, "Sam?"

Her smile grew as she remarked, "Shut up and kiss me."

He smiled back at her, still nervous as he licked his lower lip quickly. They unbuckled their seatbelts and then leaned towards each other. Holding onto each other, they kissed with increasing passion, their fingers wandering each other's hair, and beneath items of clothing as they each moaned.

She giggled, remarking breathlessly in his ear, "We're like a bunch of teenagers…"

His lips moved to her neck, nuzzling the soft skin as he whispered, "But hopefully more experienced."

"We'll lower the house prices around here if we keep this up."

Noticing that she wasn't slowing down, he remarked as his lips moved to her collarbone, "Like you give a damn."

"You read my mind."

They parted, catching their breath back as they both glowed with happiness, and she remarked, "Oh, now you have to come in."

He grinned, retorting as he blushed, "Good… because we probably would have been arrested if we went any further here."

They smiled at each other and then she got out, walking to the front door of her house to unlock the door. He watched her for a moment, scared again… he hadn't done anything remotely like what they had just done for a long, long time, the same going for the next step. What if he messed up and he lost her forever?

He closed his eyes briefly and got out, following her, hoping that she wouldn't hold it against him.

Noticing how long he had taken to follow her, she met him at the door and caressed his cheek, and said, smiling slightly, "Promise me you won't be scared, Daniel."

He shook his head, replying as she closed the door behind him when he stepped into the house, "I can't… it's been so long since I…"

She placed a finger over his lips, silencing him as she whispered, gazing at him lovingly, "You're my best friend first, Daniel. Whatever happens, happens."

She pressed a kiss to his neck, another to his throat, just under the collar of his shirt, and then asked as his fingers played with her hair, "You're not scared, are you?"

He replied shakily as his fingers wandered down her neck and to her shoulder, "I'm not going to lie. I'm scared out of my head, but you're my best friend first too."

"Good. Let's just see how it goes, ok?"

She looked at him pensively and then asked, "How about we go for a ride on my bike? It's pretty warm."

He looked at her sceptically, and she remarked, nudging him, "Come on, it'll be fun… you'll love it."

He remarked, an eyebrow raised, "Sam, ten years of doing what we've done hasn't made me any less cautious."

She said with a small laugh as she slipped on her leather jacket, "Oh come on, Daniel. You'll be fine."

"It isn't me that I'm worried about… the most."

--------------------

She rode carefully as he held her around her waist, gently increasing the speed after he had become accustomed to the feel of riding, and then she sped up. She felt his arms tighten around her and she laughed, calling over the sound of the wind,

"Relax, I won't let anything happen to you."

They eventually came to a stop at a secluded spot overlooking the city, its location providing them with the opportunity to spot anyone well before they themselves would be spotted, and they dismounted. Leaving their helmets and her jacket near the bike, which was propped up against a nearby rocky mound, they sat next to each other in the scrubland, and she turned to him, asking as he looked out across the city, getting his breath back,

"How was it?"

He closed his eyes, rolling his head back as he exhaled, replying, "I kept thinking you'd crash."

She gently hit him on the arm, and he continued with a grin as he looked at her, "But I had the time of my life."

They held hands as they gazed at each other and then kissed. He gazed at her lovingly in the light of the full moon, saying fondly,

"You're so beautiful."

She blushed and she kissed him in thanks before they both looked up at the infinite stars that lay before them. They then lay on their backs, still holding hands as he remarked in a low voice,

"We've spent so long defending the galaxy, that we never really take the time to just stop and admire it."

She smiled, replying as she rolled over to snuggle into his chest as his arm came around her, "Oh yeah… it's so beautiful from up here. You don't really get as great a view from within the city because of the light pollution."

He nodded as his fingers travelled through her hair and she shifted to kiss him, lying over him. He caressed her cheek and returned her kiss, his glasses steaming up as she snickered. She took his glasses off, placing them out of reach before she went about unbuttoning his shirt. He, in turn, worked on her own shirt.

When he had pulled it from her shoulders, he gaped at her semi-naked form. He whispered distractedly, his throat dry,

"My God, Sam... you're... beautiful."

She smiled in partial amusement and embarrassment, replying as she kissed his bare chest, his shirt cast off to the side, "And you are pretty hot."

She laughed when his cheeks reddened and then he gently rolled them over so that he was above her, and his lips went back to her neck and her chest as they leisurely worked on removing the rest of their clothing.

After his jeans had been removed somehow, as her fingers ran down the curve of his backside, she whispered with a breathless laugh as she shut her eyes, her hips rising from the ground, "This is my first time…"

He stopped, gazing down at her sceptically, remarking, "Your _first_ time?!"

She grinned, replying, "My first time al fresco."

He chuckled softly and then continued to kiss her as they both groaned and panted, her hands caressing his strong shoulders, back and then his hips in a reciprocal exploration of what had been under her nose for almost ten years. His tongue wandered lazily down her neck and her chest, and then her stomach as she writhed beneath him, whispering his name.

She turned them over again as she slipped an arm around his neck, giving back what he had given her, She then lay over him, whispering in his ear as he held her tight,

"Daniel… are you ready?"

He nodded and asked, kissing her neck, "What about you?"

She whispered in his ear with a grin, and his hand lowered before he remarked, his cheeks heating up, "Good answer."

He gently laid her on her back as he rose above her, their eyes meeting for what felt like a long moment. She smiled at him, reaching up to stroke his cheek and then with one swift plunge, he was within her as her head rolled back as she involuntarily groaned his name.

He panted as he moved inside of her, his strong arms either side of the screaming Astrophysicist. He kissed her before crying out at the rush of feelings and sensations that came forth, until he collapsed from the exertion and the rush, right as she screamed his name.

He held her tightly in his arms, her head resting on his chest as they got their breath back, and she whispered in amazement as his fingers travelled through her damp hair, "Daniel… that is officially my first time now."

He remarked, exhaling a long breath as he smiled slightly, "Your first time at forty-two?"

"Sure, why not?"

He kissed her neck, replying as tears involuntarily pricked his eyes, "It's funny that it took us so long to get here."

"To doing it in the grass?"

They laughed, and he whispered, kissing her ear as they rested their exhausted bodies, "I love you, Samantha. I love you so much."

"I love you too… God, how long?"

"Since I came back..."

Confused, she asked, "Adria? Oh…"

She suddenly realised what he had meant and then said, surprised, "That's almost four years."

He nodded and she was about to say something when he kissed her temple, whispering, "Let's not dwell on the past, Sam… we've got a future to look forward to."

She smiled, a little sad that he had held out for so long without saying anything, and she hugged him, remarking, "Let's get back before we catch cold… I'd _love_ to explain to Carolyn how we contracted Pneumonia…"

He kissed her hair and replied with a little smile as he helped her up, "Good idea, Colonel-Doctor. Lead on."


	6. Chapter 6

_Lyrics featured are Afternoon Delight by Starland Vocal Band. lol._

_--------------------_

Back at Sam's house, the two of them showered together, allowing for a gentler and more leisurely exploration of each other's bodies, which involved a lot of laughter and some moaning. Drying each other off, he remarked, his cheeks reddening much to her amusement,

"I think I could get used to this."

She leaned in to kiss his bare throat, murmuring as his fingers played with her hair, "Me too."

He wrapped his arms around her, holding her firmly against him as he gently rested his head against hers, his eyes closed. She slipped her arms around his neck as she whispered, her heart overflowing with love and desire now that she was free to express her feelings,

"We should have done this years back."

"Mm, what... standing naked in your bathroom?"

She laughed softly, retorting as she kissed his nose, "That too."

He nuzzled her neck as her knees felt as though they were dissolving into her shins, remarking in a whisper right before they both laughed, "I have to say, it's a lot of fun."

--------------------

When they finally reached her bed, she gently pushed him to sit down on the end, and she straddled his lap as he looked up at her. She remarked as she watched in amusement as he tried to control himself,

"I never thought I'd actually get you in my bed."

He gazed at her wide-eyed as he said in a low voice, distracted, "Oh, I think I can say the same thing for you."

Smiling, she kissed him, and he remarked, his hands slowly travelling her torso, "You do realise what that means?"

She frowned slightly in confusion, and he continued with a grin, "We've got a lot of catching up to do."

She giggled against his shoulder as his fingers continued their caresses, replying breathlessly, "Thank God we're on leave then... Hmm, you're very playful."

She lifted her head so she could see his face, particularly his smile, and she kissed it, continuing as she gazed into his clear eyes, "Don't ever stop smiling, Daniel... you've got a wonderful smile."

He murmured as his lips grazed her chest, "I've got a reason to smile now."

She panted softly as she rested her head on his shoulder, her fingers tangled in his hair, and she whispered, kissing his ear, "Did you have anything planned for your leave?"

As his fingers travelled the length of her torso, he remarked with a little smile, "I did, but it can wait until I go back to work. You?"

She chuckled, replying, "Same here. Hm, looks like we're both free."

She pushed him back onto the bed, the Archaeologist yelping in surprise, and she shrieked with laughter when he tickled her. She grinned, laughing as he laid her down and made love to her, whispering rude jokes in her ear. In reply to one joke, she laughed, whispering in his ear as she looped an arm around his neck and feeling utterly happy,

"Well then, Doctor Jackson, I can't wait for tomorrow afternoon then."

"_Gonna find my baby,  
Gonna hold her tight  
Gonna grab some afternoon delight.  
My motto's always been; when it's right, it's right.  
Why wait until the middle of a cold dark night.  
When everything's a little clearer in the light of day.  
And you know the night is always gonna be there any way_..."

Laughing, she watched his eyebrows shoot up when she sang the next part,

"_Sky rockets in flight. Afternoon delight. Afternoon delight._

_Thinkin' of you's workin' up my appetite  
looking forward to a little afternoon delight.  
Rubbin' sticks and stones together makes the sparks ignite  
and the thought of rubbin' you is getting so exciting_."

She remarked as he reddened, "You're not the only one who knows rude songs... we have got to watch Anchorman one of these days."

He lowered his lips to her neck, replying, "I think Mitchell's got that lined up."

"And we're going to be giggling right the way through that bit."

"And Good Will Hunting."

She looked up at him in surprised bemusement, asking, "That too? Oh... Cam's going to think we're cracked, and he won't say anything because he wouldn't want Vala to go around singing it at the top of her voice when she realises what it means."

He smiled against her neck and said suddenly, "I'd love to come home to you."

She said, her face serious as was her voice as she gazed up at him, "I'd love to come home to you as well."

They held each other's gaze for a long moment, a myriad of indescribable things passing between two different shades of blue, and he smiled softly. She reached up to smooth his brow and he kissed her forehead before starting to hum again, and they both laughed and giggled as they sang together while continuing their caresses,

"_Started out this morning feeling so polite  
I always thought a fish could not be caught who didn't bite  
But you've got some bait a waitin' and I think I might try nibbling  
a little afternoon delight._

Sky rockets in flight. Afternoon delight. Afternoon delight.

Please be waiting for me baby when I come around.  
We could make a lot of lovin' 'for the sun goes down.

Sky rockets in flight. Afternoon delight. Afternoon delight..."

--------------------

Later that night, as saffron-robed Dawn began to spread her mantle across the eastern skies, Sam woke up in Daniel's firm embrace, his arms around her waist, his breathing slow and steady against her neck, and she smiled, feeling overwhelmingly happy.

She gently stroked his arm and turned slightly to kiss his jaw as he stirred, making a gentle humming noise against her shoulder. He nuzzled her neck, whispering,

"Sam?"

She turned over completely and gazed up at him as he propped himself up on an elbow and looked down at her in the dim light. His fingers danced across her stomach, around her navel and he remarked with a lazy smile,

"It's nice not waking up alone."

She smiled in reply, whispering as she gently touched his hair, "A girl could get used to this."

"A guy too..."

He gently pressed a tender kiss to her neck and remarked with a happy smile as she gazed up at him lovingly, his fingers roving across her body, "I think I'm going to enjoy this leave."

"Oh, there's no _thinking _about it."

He grinned as she snuggled in his embrace, and he said as they both watched the sunrise between the drapes that neither had remembered to close the night before, "I wonder what the next fifty years will hold for us now."

She replied with a happy sigh, "I don't know but I do know that we'll have fun finding out."

--------------------

_Yikes, it took longer than expected to write this chapter! lol. I'm hungry. : D Anywho, this is the end! Woo. More stories after the Christmas holidays... hopefully (maybe even a Jackson Junior story too... ooh...)._

_Hope you all have a very merry Christmas and a Happy New Year (or Seasons Greetings to you if you don't celebrate Christmas), and remember..._

"_A review is for life, not just for Christmas (or secular equivalent)..." _

_Thanks for reading: )_


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